If you’d told me a year ago that we’d be standing in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle with soggy shoes and huge smiles, I’m not sure I would have believed you. And yet, here we are… freshly home from our very first trip to Disneyland Paris.

Ever since I stepped foot in Walt Disney World Orlando in 2019, I’ve longed to feel that indescribable Disney magic again. So, being the Disney-obsessed girl that I am, I quietly took matters into my own hands. I booked the entire trip as a surprise for my little family and wrapped it up as a Christmas gift. Safe to say, it was worth keeping the secret.

As many of you know, we’re what people call a “blended family” – not my favourite term, but it explains things simply. Ryan isn’t the children’s dad, and for us, sharing one hotel room doesn’t feel quite right. But finding space for five people in standard Disney accommodation isn’t easy either. So I rang Disney to talk through our options… two hotel rooms, or something different?

The lovely Cast Member I spoke to listened carefully and suggested Davy Crockett Ranch, where two-bedroom cabins sleep up to six guests. It sounded ideal for what we needed… separate space, but still fully immersed in the Disney bubble. Decision made.

Flying felt like the safest option for us. I’ve never driven on the “wrong” side of the road before and didn’t fancy learning under pressure, so we flew and hired a car for getting around once we arrived so that Ryan could drive as he has experience in foreign countries.

Davy Crockett Ranch is the furthest on-site Disney accommodation from the parks. The website suggests around a 15-minute drive, but in reality it was closer to 10 and we received free park parking, which made everything very straightforward. Even during February half term, we never queued to enter the car park and always found a space easily. The furthest row we parked in was D31, and that was only because we didn’t want to risk driving further in and having to turn back.

The journey itself couldn’t have been smoother. We had a relaxed breakfast at the airport, boarded early thanks to my youngest daughter’s priority boarding linked to her medication, and before we knew it, we were on a 40-minute flight to Paris. After what felt like a marathon walk to the hire car, we made our first stop at a French supermarket to stock up on breakfast essentials.

Although Disneyland Paris offers meal plans and in hindsight one might have made financial sense… we chose to self-cater for flexibility. I’d already checked in via the Disney app (which was incredibly simple), and we received a text when our cabin was ready. We did pop into reception to collect a Priority Access pass for Freya before heading to our cabin.

Our Davy Crockett cabin was perfect as a base – cosy, practical, and exactly what we needed after long park days. The only slight downside was the lack of an oven, meaning proper self-catering would require some creativity with just a hob and microwave. The newer cabins (including ours) have one toilet but two showers, which worked well for us.

Everyone says not to compare Disney parks because each one is unique. I agree to a point but when you’ve experienced Orlando, comparisons naturally slip in.

Disneyland Paris is smaller, made up of two parks and Disney Village. When we visited, it was clear that refurbishment projects were underway across the parks and accommodation areas, which felt promising for the future. There’s a Frozen world about to open and a Lion King world in the near future too!

Walking into the park for the first time was pure magic. That rush of adrenaline as the castle comes into view is something only Disney lovers truly understand. A little tip: if you want to build anticipation for your first castle reveal, use the left or right MagicPass scanners rather than the central entrance – it keeps the view hidden just a little longer.

We stayed for five days (four nights), and thanks to the Priority Pass, we managed to complete all the rides and explore thoroughly within about two full days. Having extra time meant we could slow down, revisit favourites, and soak it all in without racing from attraction to attraction.

We booked our evening meals through the Disney app. On our first night, we unexpectedly secured Captain Jack’s Restaurant. The Pirates of the Caribbean theming was stunning – atmospheric and immersive – but the menu was quite niche, portions were small, and prices were high. Ryan enjoyed it, but the rest of us left slightly hungry.

The following evening, we dined at The Steakhouse in Disney Village. With Freya being gluten- and dairy-free, eating out can sometimes be stressful, but the staff were fantastic and the food delicious. The children’s menu was beautifully Disney-themed, and Freya found suitable options with ease… she’s still talking about her steak! It was also noticeably better value than our first meal.

Night three brought us to the Davy Crockett Tavern buffet. At €160 for all five of us – roughly €100 less than previous meals – it felt like excellent value. The variety suited everyone, including our dietary-requirement child, and we left completely full and happy. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we cancelled our Billy Bob’s booking for night four and returned again. When something works, why change it?

One of our unexpected highlights was introducing Elsa and then Eva… to Disney pin trading. I’m fairly new to it myself (and annoyingly left my own lanyard at home), but buying Elsa a starter set added a whole new layer of fun to our trip. Trading with Cast Members became a little daily mission.

For anyone unfamiliar, Disney pin trading involves exchanging collectible pins with Cast Members wearing black lanyards. Some pins are limited edition, others more standard, but the thrill is in the trade. We found the Emporium on Main Street the best place for casual trades, while the Walt Disney Studios shop hosted a more structured session in the late afternoon, where trades were much more selective.

The girls loved it, and we’ve decided to continue collecting pins for birthdays and special occasions.

Our favourite rides were Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. While some attractions felt similar to Orlando, what always stands out is Disney’s attention to detail. No matter how many times you walk the same route, you’ll always notice something new.

We discovered the dragon beneath the castle, explored the Christmas shop, enjoyed Winnie the Pooh meet-and-greets, and sampled plenty of themed snacks. It truly felt like we embraced the full Disney experience.

By days four and five, exhaustion had well and truly set in – especially as the weather turned rainy and grey. Travelling home felt long and, during those airport hours (we arrived five hours early!), I briefly wished we had driven so we could simply set off. By the time we reached our own beds, we were completely drained and the Disney sparkle had softened into sleepy smiles.

Would I return to Disneyland Paris? Honestly, I don’t regret a single moment. But I don’t feel an urgent pull to go back either. For me personally, it didn’t quite match the scale and wow-factor of Orlando. If we had the opportunity again, I’d likely choose Florida – though exploring other Disney parks around the world is definitely on my dream list.

I filmed our entire trip, so if you’d like to follow along with each day of our adventure, you can watch the full playlist below.